Electrical railway-signal



J. A. PAUL. v Electrical Railway Signal.

No. 233,368. Patented Oct. 19,1880,

J r2, x

WITNESS S INVENTOR Anonusvs NJETERS, PHOTOJJTNOGRAPHER, WASHINGTON. n O

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN A. PAUL, OF HUNTINGDON, PENNSYLVANIA.

. ELECTRICAL RAI LWAY-SIGNAL.

' SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 233,368, dated October 19, 1880.

Application filed January 24, 1880.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN A. PAUL, of the borough of Huntingdon, in the county of Huntingdon and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain newand useful Improvements in Railway-Signals; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the construction and operation of the same, reference being had to the annexed drawings, making a part of this specification, aud to the letters and figures of reference marked thereon.

Figure 1 of the drawings is a representation of a side elevation of my railway-signal. Fig. 2 is a sectional view of the same. Fig. 3 is a detail view, partly in section, and Fig. 4 is a detail view.

The signals which I propose employing in connection with my improved apparatus may consist in the striking of a bell or gong, or in the waving of flags or lights according to any approved code or system which will give an intelligible warning of the approach of a train. In the present instance I have shown a vibratory arm, A, adapted to strike a properlydisposed hell, or gong, or, with slight mechanical changes too obvious to need particular .description, to be employed for waving either a flag or a light. This arm will be secured to a vibratory shaft journaled in the frame B, and from the said vibratory shaft will also radiate an arm, 0, disposed so as to be acted upon by an ordinary tappetwheel upon one of the shafts of a train of gearing arranged in any well-known or suitable way for converting the rotary motion of the main shaft D into a "ibratory motion of the shaft which carries the arm A. A spring, E, is used in the present instance for actuating the gearing when the fly F is set free by the vibration of a stop-rod, as presently described. I

Instead of the spring herein illustrated the common form of weight sometimes used in clock mechanism may be employed, in which case the weight-cord will be wound upon the main shaft 1).

In Fig. l, I have illustrated the spur-wheel's G G G the first, G, of which transmits power from the main shaft to the shaft which carries the tappet-wheel, and the second, G, arranged to transmit motion to the shaft carrying the fly through the medium of the third wheel, G The arrangement of this train of gearing is common in clock striking mechanism, and hence I do not regard it as necessary to illustrate the particular construction of springs. ratchetlantern-wheels, and tappet-wheel, since such arrangement may be greatly varied, as will be readily understood by those skilled in the art.

I will now describe the means employed for winding up the spring or weight, and will here premise that the main frame, which supports the mechanism just described, is mounted upon a standard, H, located alongside of and at a proper distance from the railroad-track. The cross-tie or sleeper I, which is opposite to this standard, is extended some distance beyond the side of the track and in the direction of the standard, so as to afford a suitable bed for the bearings I of a rock-shaft, K.

\ Upon the end of the rock-shaft which is adjacent to the track is a tappet, L, so arranged as to project above the tread of the rail, in order that the wheels of a passing train will successively depress the tappet, and hence vibrate the rock-shaft to which it is secured.

Upon the end of the rock-shaft which is next to the standard H is secured a disk, M, provided upon one of its sides with two studholtsl N 6d1ich work in slots 0 of the pitmen P P. pen the outer ends of these studbolts I propose arranging nuts, so as to prevent the pitmen from slipping off during operation. These two pitmen are pivoted at their upper ends in a cross-head, Q, through which is passed and secured a vertical reciprocating shaft, It.

The shaft 1%. works through guides S, secured to the standard H, and connects at its upper end with a recessed block, T, in which is pivoted a spring-pawl, U. The function of said pawl is to act upon a ratchet, V, which is secured upon the main shaft D, which carries the spring-power, as already described. A set-screw, W, which works in the block T, is arranged to be brought to bear upon the pawl when it is desired to regulate the bite of its upper end with the ratchet-teeth.

The ratchet-wheel is mutilated by the omission of a couple of its teeth, so as to leave a plane surface, V, which is employed to prevent any further rotation of the main shaft and consequent strain upon the spring after the spring has been wound up by one revolution of the ratchet. This will be understood by referring to Fig. 2, which illustrates the relative position of the pawl and ratchet after the latter has completed its revolution by the action of the pawl upon its teeth and the spring wound up. It will here be seen that any further reciprocatory motion of the vertical shaft and pawl will have no effect upon the ratchet, since the pawl will merely slide over the plane surface V of the ratchet.

In order to bring the ratchet to a stop after one revolution and during the uncoiling of the spring and the consequent operation of the train of gearing, I provide the main shaft 1) with a radiating arm, D, so arranged that it will,during the said operation of the mechan ism, strike against as top, a, and hence check the motion ofthe shaft which carries the spring. The stop a consists of an angle-plate pivoted to the bed or bottom B of the frame B, so as to be adjustable.

The mechanism for liberating the escapement or fly F, so as to admit of the operation of the train of gearing and the consequent vibration of the arm which carries the signal, is as follows: An electro-magnet, b, is secured to the main frame I), and connected by wire, with a transmitter stationed along the track at some distance from the apparatus just described. The armature c of this electro-magnet is secured upon a vibratory arm, (I, which is, in turn, secured to a rock-shaft, c, properly jourualed in the main frame. Extending upwardly from this rock-shaft is a stop-rod or arm,f, which, when brought under the fly F by a slight turn of the rock-shaft, effectually checks the rotation of the fly, and hence stops all further motion of the train of gearing,which connects in the usual way with the shaft upon which the fly is secured. An arm, g, also extends upwardly from the rock-shaft e, and is bent at its upper end so as to engage with a notched latch, 11, which holds the said arm in position to maintain the stop-rodfeither in contact with or away from the fly. When the army takes in the notch i the stop-rod will be under the fly so as to arrest its revolution, and when the said arm is shifted into the notch in the stop-rod will be vibrated away from the fly, thus setting it free.

A horizontal arm, I, extends out from the rock-shaft and alongside of the main frame, so as to project over a pin, m, passed through the recessed block T, and, by preference, adapted to constitute the pivot of the spring-pawl. This arm 1 serves to vibrate the rock-shaft, so as to shift the arm 9 from the notch I; to the notch i of the latch, and hence bring the stoprod in position to check the movement of the fly. When the vertical shaft and paw] are raised to their upward limit the pin m raises the arm I, and hence vibrates the rock-shaft so as to lock the fly and gearings. Hence, the

wheels of a passing train, in depressing the tappet alongside the rail, will, through the medium of the rock-shaft, disk, pitmen, and vertical shaft, heretofore described, cause the pin m to raise the arm I, and hence lock the mechanism, should it be in operation, or when the stop-rod is in the notch k, after the signal-arm has been vibrated the requisite number of times and the mechanism checked by reason of the arm upon the main shaft which carries the spring coming in contact with the stop which is pivoted upon the bed of the main frame.

In practice, I propose arranging a tappet in connection with the transmitter alongside of the track at some distance--say half a milefrom the signal apparatus, so that the wheels of an approaching train will act upon such tappet and establish connection between the electro-magnet of the present apparatus and the transmitter. This will cause the armature to be drawn upon the poles of the'magnet, and hence cause a vibration of the rock-shaft e and its arms, which will throw the stop-rod away from the flyand shift the arm from the notch ito the notch k of the pivoted latch. This allows the spring to actuate the train of gearing, and hence to vibrate the signal-arm until the mechanism is checked by the arm D upon the main shaft 1), which period of arrest occurs when the ratchet is nearly in the position shown in Fig. 2. As the train passes by the signal mechanism the tappet L will be successively forced down by the wheels and raised by the weight of the pitmen, vertical shaft, and appendages to the same. The vibrations of the tappet causes a like movement of the rock-shaft K and disk M, and the latter, through the medium of its bolts N, which extend in the slots of the pitmen, causes a reciprocatory movement of the vertical shaft and paw]. In this way the pawl acts upon the ratchet so as to wind up the spring, and the pin m, which projects from the block in which the pawl is pivoted, raises the horizontal arm of the rock-shaft, so as to bring the stop-rod in position to prevent rotation of the fly.

By employing two slotted pitmen the vertical rod can be actuated by a train of cars passing over the tappet in either direction.

It, of course, is understood that two transmitters will be employed at opposite sides of the signal mechanism and at the proper distance therefrom, as above stated.

What I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The combination of a mechanism for actuating the signaling devices with the tappet L, rock-shaft K, disk M, stud-bolts N, pitmen P, with slots 0, the vertical shaft R, cross-head :2, iawl U, and ratchet V, substantially as set 'ort i.

2. The rock-shaft K, tappet L, pitmen 1, vertical shaft 1t, recessed block T, pawl U, setscrew W, and ratchet-wheel V upon the main shaft of the signal-actuating mechanism, said members being constructed and combined sub- In testimony that I claim theabove I have stantially as herein set forth. hereunto subscribed my name in the presence 10 3. In a railway-signalingapparatus,tl1e elecof two Witnesses. tro-magnet b, armature a, vibrating arm (1, rock- JOHN A PAUL 5 shaft 0, stop-rod f, lockin g-arm g, notched latch h, arm 1, and pin m, upon the head-block of the Witnesses: vertical shaft R, all combined substantially J. HALL MUsSER, as specified. JOHN R. LOGAN. 

